Fired Boot

The scraps of leftover glass I discussed yesterday included the blue boot shape, the clear, thick freeform stringer, the green thin stringer and the clear rectangle all are resting on top of.  As you may recall, the blue shape is actually the cut-away edge of a much larger piece.  This is the edge is created at the factory when the molten glass is poured, then rolled to a thickness of 2mm.

It is important to notice in this collage, that the clear glass is a rectangle with straight edges and corners that are 90 degree angles.

Scrap pendant using the edge of a blue sheet, freeform green and clear stringers, and mounted on a clear rectangle - pre-firing

Now let's take a look at the fired piece.

Scrap pendant using the edge of a blue sheet, freeform green and clear stringers, and mounted on a clear rectangle - post-firing

Check out the transformation as a result of heating these pieces of glass.  The basic boot shape remains, but the clear rectangle is no longer a rectangle.  The freeform green stringer has shrunk in length and is much less curly than when originally assembles, and the large, clear freeform stringer is barely visible.
When molten, glass more quickly reveals the properties of a fluid; the molecules pull together to form the smallest shape possible.  Of course glass also follows it "property rules," which include flowing to the thickness of 1/4 inch.  Because there was more glass in the "toe" of the boot shape, the fluid and glass properties helped this portion of the boot to be wider when fired.

Scrap pendant using the edge of a blue sheet, freeform green and clear stringers, and mounted on a clear rectangle - post-firing

When enlarged, it is a little easier to see the results of the fluid and glass rules.  Notice that where the bottom of the larger, clear freeform stringer crosses the bottom of the blue boot, there appears to be a gap in the boot sole.  In the spot, because of the placement of the stringer, the glass is thick here so.....when molten, the glass in this spot flowed more than the surrounding glass so that all could be 1/4 inch thick.

For those who are really striving for a specific visual or aesthetic effect, careful planning is essential when working with glass!

Instead of a pendant, I think this shape might be much more appealing as a sculptural piece, such as a doll or a brooch.  I'll have to sketch out some ideas now that I see it fired!